Victoria Trojanowska

English II

12-15-2017

Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?

Same sex marriage has been a controversial topic for the last few decades. Many people

support it, while others are against it. When it comes to the idea of same sex marriage many things

come into play such as religion, cultural values and beliefs, as well as an open mind. These things

can be used to support or go against same sex marriage. When creating an argument opposing gay

marriage, people use the bible and the basic form of religion as to why it shouldn’t be allowed, yet

people forget there is also bible quotes to contradict their beliefs. Also, many people are “old

fashion” in a sense, so with their traditional beliefs it is hard to accept these changes. Lastly, many

people go into marriages since they can’t marry the partner they would like to which in the end

causes incompatibility. Gay marriage should be supported because with same sex marriage being

legalized the divorce rate will go down, there is bible quotes to show why one shouldn’t hate on

gay marriage, and one doesn’t have to support it to have an open mind to it.

Same sex marriage should be legalized because it would bring down the divorce rates.

With same sex marriage being legalized, everyone would be able to marry who they want. One

could actually marry who they truly love not one who they talked themselves into loving. On the

website infogram, it stated “More than 50% of married couples in America get divorced. Studies

show that the US has one of the highest divorce rates compared to other countries.” Some people

are raised with the expectation that they have to get married. Many will go on and do so knowing
deep down inside that this is something they are not happy doing. They will live in an unhappy

marriage which results in a divorce. If gay marriage were to be legalized, then the rate of divorces

would decrease. Due to the fact that there would be no boundaries on genders in the marriage, the

marriages would be more compatible. One could choose to marry whoever they’d like. By doing

so, the amount of marriages would go up. As the amount goes up with compatible couples, the rate

of divorces would go down. Therefore, legalizing same sex marriage would lower the divorce rate.

When the topic of homosexuality arrives, many bring religion into the topic. People

typically bring the fact that the bible has many verses against sexuality. When using the bible,

people don’t always focus on the positives that are written in it about homosexuality. On the

website bible study tools it stated a verse from the bible which says “There is only one Lawgiver

and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your

neighbor?” (James 4:12) There is ultimately only one person who could judge, that person being

God. It is no one's place to judge anyones action. Whoever one chooses to be with and do is on

them. There is only one person who could judge, and He is not a regular person amongst us.

Therefore, gay marriage should be legalized because religion doesn’t technically play a role in it,

it’s just one implementing their personal beliefs on someone else’s life.

Many people do not support same sex marriage but that doesn’t mean one can’t have an

open mind to it. Over the last few decades times have changed greatly. What would be frowned

upon greatly in the 1900’s is very common and more or less accepted in the 2000’s. Mindsets have

evolved and some people are more open to what was once considered a taboo topic. However,

this doesn’t mean that people as a whole have evolved and accepted these topics. In an article

written on the Santa Clara University website it states “But simply suggest a theological approach
that might open up the possibility for greater Christian acceptance of, and ecclesiastical approval

for, same sex unions.” It is possible for people to begin to accept topics such as gay marriage. Once

again, religion plays a role. There is still time to adjust a mindset and begin to accept these topics. If

religious environments spoke about these topics, more people would be open to it. Therefore, gay

marriage should be legalized so it becomes less of a taboo subject.

Although there is many bible verses that show why one shouldn't judge a couple for being

same sex, there is also many that go against it. Religion still has the same impact on homosexuality

as it did before. Many use the argument that God created a man and a woman and that is why

marriages or relationships in general should stay that way. Even though there is verses to support

why homosexuality is immoral, there is also many for it. Majority of the verses speak on sexual

relations but none of them speak of marriage. In the bible it states “If a man has sexual relations

with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.” (Leviticus

20:13) Sexual relations and marriage are two completely different topics. So, a “hook up” and

marriage are very different. Also, there is bible verses to show that a heterosexual couple should

not have sexual relations as well. It is said that God gave one a body and that the person should

respect their body. Therefore, there is bible verses to show as to why homosexuality is immoral,

but very little of them speak on marriage and they just explain premarital hook ups.

Same sex marriage is an important topic that should be addressed because it has been a

taboo topic for the last few decades. As time has been passing, gay marriage has been a more

common thing in everyday life. If more people were to speak about same sex marriage especially

in religious environments, more people would have an open mind to it. Even if people wouldn’t

accept same sex marriage, they would more okay with the idea of it and how it is becoming a
reality more and more each day. Also, if same sex marriage were to be legalized it would lower

the divorce rates. With a higher number of compatible couples, less would get divorced which

would lower the rates. Lastly, there is bible quotes to support homosexuality in a sense which show

that no one could judge but the ultimate judger. Therefore, Gay marriage should be supported

because with same sex marriage being legalized the divorce rate will go down, there is bible quotes

to show why one shouldn’t hate on gay marriage,

“10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage Sh ould be legalized. by Alex King - Infogram.” Create

Infographics, Charts and Maps - Infogram,

infogram.com/10-reasons-why-gay-marriage-should-be-legalized-1gd0gmj7rzdym1q.

This source is a website the gives 10 reasons as to why same sex marriage should be legalized. It

gives reasons ranging from divorce rates to successful adoptions.

This source relates to my topic because the whole essay is on gay marriage. This source supports

my stance because I support gay marriage and this site gives 10 reasons why it should be legalized.

One of the quotes from the cite is ”More than 50% of married couples in America get divorced.

Studies show that the US has one of the highest divorce rates compared to other countries.

Allowing gays the opportunity to get married will increase marriage rates because less couples will
get divorced due to incompatibility or infertility. Legalizing gay marriage will decrease divorce rate

because it cannot get any worse than it is right now.” One of the reasons as to why same sex

marriage should be legalized is due to the fact that will cause successful marriages and bring down

the divorce rate.

“25 Top Bible Verses about Homosexuality - What Does Scripture Say?” Bible Study Tools,

www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-homosexuality/.

This source is a website providing bible quotes about homosexuality. It lists multiple quotes on

how God is the one to judge at the end of day and people should not be so worried about others.

This source relates to my topic because it relates to gay marriage. Many people use the bible to

show how God hates gays when in reality there is a lot of positive in the bible toward gay

marriage. This relates to my position because I believe everyone is entitled to live their life as they

wish, and at the end of the day God judges them not some random person from the street.

One of the quotes used is “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for

God will judge the adulterer and the sexually immoral.” (Hebrews 13:1-5) I plan to use this for my

argument because this quote helps show that at the end of the day, God is the one who judges, and

marriage should be honored by all.

Rachel Stewart Johnson / Published Fall 2013. “A same-Sex couple's struggle to adopt.”

The Hub, 10 Sept. 2013, hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2013/fall/gay-couple-adoption/.

This source is a website that documents a same sex couples struggle to adopt a baby. It states more

details as to why the couple believe they should get a baby, as well as statistics to support them.

This source relates to my topic because it goes into more detail on same sex couples and the

struggles they face. This supports my stance because there are statistic that show positives towards

gay married couples and as to why they shouldn’t be discriminated.

One of the quotes in the article is “...U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that gay married couples cannot

be denied federal benefits. But gay couples trying to adopt children learn that both legal and

cultural impediments still exist.” This quote shows that although it is stated that gay married

couples cannot be denied federal rights, they still are. I will use this quote to show the unfair

circumstances against gay married couples and how stated in another one of my sources, can help

impact people in the future if allowed.

“Same-Sex Marriage and the Future of the LGBT Movement.” Gargoyle,

gargoyle.law.wisc.edu/2015/11/11/same-sex-marriage-and-the-future-of-the-lgbt-movement/.

This source is a website that explains LGBT marriage and how it will impacted in the future. It is

also explain how the constitution and rights come into play. It is Leo mentioned how ideas and

beliefs expand with time.

This source supports my topic because it shows how there is support from the government that

protects LGBT people, just like any person, but somehow they are still discriminated. This source

supports my stance because I also believe that there is rights to support the marriage and no one

should be discriminated.
In the article it states “ The majority says that the tradition of marriage and the definition of equality

have evolved, that history and tradition are a guide, but that tradition does not define the outer

boundaries of equality and liberty.“ I will use this quote to support that fact that traditions and

mindsets can change over time. Also, just because you don’t support it, doesn’t mean you have to

be super against it.

“The Future Impact of Same-Sex Marriage: More Questions Than Answers.” Williams Institute,

25 Oct. 2012,

williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/marriage-and-couples-rights/the-future-impact-of-same-sex-

marriage-more-questions-than-answers/.

This source is a website on how gay marriage can impact people in the future. It lists many reasons

as to how there can be a benefit from it.

This source relates to my topic because it shows how people in the LGBT community as well as

those outside of it can benefit. This relates on my stance on this topic because it shows many

positives people can benefit from.

One of the quotes in the article is “ In particular, she suggests that a more stringent set of rules

expanding support obligations in marriages (whether of different- or same-sex spouses) in which

children are born or adopted would better serve the purposes advanced by social conservatives

who purport to argue on behalf of children’s welfare.” I plan to use this quote to show that same

sex marriage can help in other fields, thus being a benefit.

University, Santa Clara. “Gay Marriage.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics,

www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/religion-and-ethics/resources/gay-marriage-theological-and-moral-

arguments/.

This source is a website from Santa Clara University. The author isn’t trying to convince people to

support gay marriage right off the bat, but is trying to show how it can slowly become accepted.

This source relates to my topic because it is about gay marriage. It helps show how gay marriage

can become slowly accepted if not supported. This relates to my position because even though I

support it, I’m not trying to force someone else to feel the same, but slowly have them be open to

accepting it.

One of the quotes in the article is “but simply suggest a theological approach that might open up

the possibility for greater Christian acceptance of, and ecclesiastical approval for, same sex

unions.” I plan to use this quote to help support my stance.